On September 15, Minister Nguyen Hong Dien formally addressed a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, requesting that the Department of Commerce (DOC) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reconsider their decision to deny recognition of the equivalence of 12 Vietnamese fishing methods under the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).

The minister emphasized that such a decision could severely disrupt bilateral trade and jeopardize the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese fishermen and workers.

In his letter, Minister Dien also called on Secretary Lutnick to ensure a fair and objective assessment in the ongoing 19th administrative review of anti-dumping duties on Vietnamese shrimp. He highlighted that Vietnamese shrimp exporters are reliable and ethical business partners in the U.S. market.

The minister stressed that these decisions affect not only Vietnamese producers, exporters, farmers, and fishers but also U.S. importers, workers, and consumers.

Vietnam and the United States currently maintain a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership based on mutual trust and benefit. Vietnam considers the U.S. a vital trading partner and continues to offer favorable conditions for American businesses and investors. The country is committed to working closely with the U.S. to resolve existing issues in a constructive and forward-looking spirit.

Previously, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) reported that on September 10, it had sent a formal letter to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Administrative Procedure Reform Advisory Council, and the Directorate of Fisheries. The letter addressed NOAA’s notification to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, stating its decision to reject the equivalence of 12 Vietnamese fishing practices under the MMPA.

As a result, seafood harvested using these methods will be banned from entering the U.S. market starting January 1, 2026. This effectively constitutes an import ban and will significantly impact Vietnam’s exports of key seafood products such as tuna, swordfish, grouper, mackerel, mullet, crab, squid, and scad.

According to VASEP, the Vietnamese seafood sector, alongside the government and local authorities, has made considerable efforts to modernize and improve its fisheries management.

These efforts include the passage of the 2017 Fisheries Law, increased resource allocation for local governance, and the continued implementation of IUU (Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated fishing), SIMP (Seafood Import Monitoring Program), and FIP (Fishery Improvement Project) compliance programs for crab and tuna. Vietnam has also pursued “Dolphin Safe” certification for its tuna export supply chains, along with other legal frameworks and marine mammal protection initiatives.

To safeguard the interests of domestic seafood harvesters and aquaculture businesses, VASEP has called for urgent and coordinated government action, both short- and long-term. These measures are intended to support the seafood industry in overcoming regulatory obstacles and re-opening access to the U.S. market, thus minimizing the risk of export disruption starting January 1, 2026.

Tam An